I have a question about the WiFi dongle for the TC-P50ST30. My friend bought one last night and while it does have the USB extender / stand, it does not have the Wi-Fi dongle that plugs into it. The literature indicates the dongle is included in the ST model - is this no longer true?

that's odd. mine came with both the USB extension cord/stand plus the actual Wi-Fi dongle.

don't know why yours would only include the extender. looks like yours is missing the dongle, unless it fell out and you've misplaced it somewhere.

Wow, the price of my VIERA TC-P42ST30 dropped another $150 on Amazon since I bought it last week (thank the Lord for their 30 day price guarantee!).

People, seriously...Amazon is practically GIVING these TVs away. GREAT time to buy! Also, a GREAT time to file a partial refund if you bought in the last 30 days. Gosh, I love Amazon.

Just pulled the trigger on this unbelievable deal for this tv!! $750 shipped with ultimate 3D package. Really looking forward to getting it, but the 3D package is on backorder. I'm sure I'll be posting questions/comments later, but for starters, does the 42st30 come with the wireless adapter or is that only for the 46+" tv's in this series?

Just pulled the trigger on this unbelievable deal for this tv!! $750 shipped with ultimate 3D package. Really looking forward to getting it, but the 3D package is on backorder. I'm sure I'll be posting questions/comments later, but for starters, does the 42st30 come with the wireless adapter or is that only for the 46+" tv's in this series?

The 3D package was backordered when I bought mine too and it still arrived two days later! I seriously wanna have Amazon's babies.

The 42 incher does indeed come with the wireless adapter. Used it last night to update the firmware right after unboxing.

Ok, I think I may have experienced this issue. My wife and I were watching TV yesterday and she noticed the TV changed from bright to dark. It was not a constant occurrence, it happened again about 5 minutes later and I noticed it.

Is this fluctuating brightness or floating blacks ? I will monitor it and see if it keeps happening. The TV is less than a month old.

I think I have CATS on, should I turn it off.

Thanks!

Definitely turn CATS off. If that doesn't resolve the issue then you are likely seeing floating/fluctuating brightness, and it won't get any better unless Panasonic chooses to fix it. Contact Panasonic immediately and open a case with them. Right now they are denying a problem, of course, so we need as many people as possible to complain.

I finally pulled the trigger on 55ST30 at Amazon. I appreciate all the info on this thread and, also the input offline, that made it possible to make a reasonably informed (or, so I think :-) decision on the purchase. Thanks guys!

I didn't get the option to select my own time slot for delivery. I thought Amazon always presented that option on big items. Has that been the experience of those that have made a similar purchase recently?

Sorry for the newb question but my girlfriend and I are buying our first HD Plasma TV and I've been comparing the 50" S30 vs the ST30. At Best Buy, they are currently $989 versus $1,349, which is a significant price difference....

I would go with the ST30 but you might as well get the 55 for 150 more. I think the price might have gone up 120 this week so it might be 270 more now but I'm pretty sure it will go back down 120 since it has fluctuated back and forth for a couple months. If you don't like 3D you could sell the 3D package to someone and that would make up some of the difference between the S30 and ST30.

I finally pulled the trigger on 55ST30 at Amazon. I appreciate all the info on this thread and, also the input offline, that made it possible to make a reasonably informed (or, so I think :-) decision on the purchase. Thanks guys!

I didn't get the option to select my own time slot for delivery. I thought Amazon always presented that option on big items. Has that been the experience of those that have made a similar purchase recently?

And, oh btw, my first post here; so hello to everyone!

Also ordered the 55ST30 today, but I was sad to see the price go up $100 since earlier this morning... oh well, they have a 14-day price guarantee.

As far as scheduled delivery, I think it depends on where you are, and how close to any of the specialized carrier hubs (Pilot or CEVA). I'm 20 minutes away from Cleveland, so I was able to choose. Pretty sure it just depends on your location from the carrier.

I didn't get the option to select my own time slot for delivery. I thought Amazon always presented that option on big items. Has that been the experience of those that have made a similar purchase recently?

And, oh btw, my first post here; so hello to everyone!

I didn't get the option for time slot either. Keep checking your order daily and they will provide you with the carrier. Mine was 'Home Direct' and once it arrived to their local warehouse, I contacted them and arranged delivery with them w/o involving Amazon.

Also ordered the 55ST30 today, but I was sad to see the price go up $100 since earlier this morning... oh well, they have a 14-day price guarantee.

As far as scheduled delivery, I think it depends on where you are, and how close to any of the specialized carrier hubs (Pilot or CEVA). I'm 20 minutes away from Cleveland, so I was able to choose. Pretty sure it just depends on your location from the carrier.

Looks like the price reduced for only a short time. It changed to a lower price last night, and sometime this morning it changed back to the current price. I hate Amazon does that. Why not keep that price for the entire week? I am sure there is a good reason (from Amazon's point of view) they do that.

Good to know the scheduled delivery is based on location; at least it is not random. The 2 or 3 CSRs that I talked to couldn't explain why that occurred. I was initially presented with the option to choose when I first began the check out process, but after I emptied the cart temporarily, that option never came back again.

I didn't get the option for time slot either. Keep checking your order daily and they will provide you with the carrier. Mine was 'Home Direct' and once it arrived to their local warehouse, I contacted them and arranged delivery with them w/o involving Amazon.

The process was very painless and they were very professional.

That's a good point. Thank you. Were you able to pick a time slot of your convenience with Home direct? Also, did the assemble the TV for you on the stand? Or, was it just power up from the box as some have reported?

Definitely turn CATS off. If that doesn't resolve the issue then you are likely seeing floating/fluctuating brightness, and it won't get any better unless Panasonic chooses to fix it. Contact Panasonic immediately and open a case with them. Right now they are denying a problem, of course, so we need as many people as possible to complain.

That's a good point. Thank you. Were you able to pick a time slot of your convenience with Home direct? Also, did the assemble the TV for you on the stand? Or, was it just power up from the box as some have reported?

Yes, they contacted me and left a v/m once it arrived. I called them and agreed on the delivery date and time.

My delivery window was from 11-3pm and the guy called me at 7:30am to see if I wanted the TV earlier He showed up 15 minutes later, helped me unpack the TV and verify for any damages and left.

My 50" is light so I was able to put the stand together and place it on the entertainment center all by myself

Good to know the scheduled delivery is based on location; at least it is not random. The 2 or 3 CSRs that I talked to couldn't explain why that occurred. I was initially presented with the option to choose when I first began the check out process, but after I emptied the cart temporarily, that option never came back again.

I think I found the issue. If you are purchasing just the TV, you are able to select the delivery time and date. If you add other items during the purchase, the option won't be available.

When I bought mine, I had the 150GC in the cart so the option was not there for me. No biggie, like I said - you can arrange directly with the carrier.

I think I found the issue. If you are purchasing just the TV, you are able to select the delivery time and date. If you add other items during the purchase, the option won't be available.

When I bought mine, I had the 150GC in the cart so the option was not there for me. No biggie, like I said - you can arrange directly with the carrier.

That's probably it. When I just had the tv in the cart, I had the option to select. Then when I entered the 3d starter kit, it went away. By any chance you don't work in a QA or Testing group, do you? :-)

Ok, I think I may have experienced this issue. My wife and I were watching TV yesterday and she noticed the TV changed from bright to dark. It was not a constant occurrence, it happened again about 5 minutes later and I noticed it.

Is this fluctuating brightness or floating blacks ? I will monitor it and see if it keeps happening. The TV is less than a month old.

I think I have CATS on, should I turn it off.

Thanks!

Yes. Turn CATS (and all that other video processing junk) off. And my recommendation would be to never turn it back on.....

CATS will definitely cause the set to get brighter and darker, since that is precisely what it is designed to do...

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM

Where I run into confusion is with the following features: the ST30 lists a louver filter, a "Pro Setting", Sub Pixel Control, Viera Connect, and has the Infinite Black 2 Panel, all of which the S30 doesn't have, but I'm not completely sure what these mean or how they will affect viewing quality. If anyone would be so kind as to quickly sum up what these are and why I should or shouldn't take them into consideration, I would be very appreciative. Anything I might be missing or not able to simply read about in spec sheets would be helpful, as well.

The ST isn't just the S plasma with 3D added (I think this confuses a lot of people, actually). The ST is a step-up model with a better panel - in fact, the ST panel is the basically the same as the next model up - the GT - just missing the THX mode and the slimmer, sexier bezel (and perhaps some pro controls for professional calibrators). So everything about the ST is better than the S. Even if you don't care about 3D, the 2D viewing on the ST is vastly superior. If you can afford it, I would definitely get an ST....

I bought my 65ST for the size and panel. I really don't care too much about 3D. Nice to impress, but nothing I'd use to great effect. I watched a bit of Avatar on 3D and it was nice, but the hassle of the glasses, the dimmer image, etc, just didn't warrant it over good ol' 2D. The ST looks fabulous in 2D, and I don't know how anyone can complain that Cinema preset is too dim. Its bright!

I hooked a laptop via HDMI up to mt 50st30 and noticed the rear two inputs both have a lot of noise (shimmering reds and greens) The side input does not.
I then checked the TV, via my receiver through it and noticed a far better picture using the side input then the rear that i usually use.

Is this a setting or is my TV FUBAR?

I don't think its the connections themselves as the pop up messages have the shimmering as well when the TV is on inputs 1 or 2 which are the rear inputs.

I've got a week left to return my sony ex500 at best buy, and I'm considering the st30.
THE sony has very minor flashlighting, mostly only visible at night, but that's when we watch movies so it is a pain.
I have the sony backlight set to 1 (out of 10) and brightness 52 (out of 100), and its bright enough for most situations. Hopefully the st30 will be bright enough. No direct sunlight, but a north facing set of sliders provide some ambient light, and the apartment walls are beige.

Basically, I just feel like I can't pass up the current amazon prices, and will either the 42 for less $$, or step up to the 50 for a little more than the 46. Actually $275 more, but the 3d kit is a nice kicker.

I if go with the 42, we can always move it to the bedroom if there's too much light. The 50 would be overkill in the br though.

I really hope it's a substantial upgrade in pq, because aside from the minor flashlighting, the sony is pretty solid.

Btw, anyone know if BestBuy price matches amazon? The 0% is nice and we'd rather not have to open an amazon account also.

I'm interested in buying a 42ST30 (with the good deals going on now) and using it as my PC monitor. I'm curious to know if others have tried this and how it works for them.

I intend to surf the web, view and edit pictures, PC gaming with twitch shooters and adventure games, PS3, etc. I won't be using it for documents, Word, etc so nothing I need to squint except for maybe photoshop. But other than that I'm looking for an all-in-one solution that I can't get with my Pio 5020 (too big & blurry).

I finally pulled the trigger on 55ST30 at Amazon. I appreciate all the info on this thread and, also the input offline, that made it possible to make a reasonably informed (or, so I think :-) decision on the purchase. Thanks guys!

I didn't get the option to select my own time slot for delivery. I thought Amazon always presented that option on big items. Has that been the experience of those that have made a similar purchase recently?

And, oh btw, my first post here; so hello to everyone!

Congrats again! I was in the same boat as you, couldn't schedule delivery time. Home Direct was the company who was delivering my TV - they called 3-4 days in advance to let me know that they will call again in couple days and set up a delivery time. They gave me a 4 hr window, 12-4 - I asked them if they can give me a heads-up 15 minutes from showing up so I can leave work and come home for delivery - which they did.

They were pretty good, I asked them to move the TV to a specific room, and they took off the box to show me that the screen was not damaged and none of the parts were missing.

I went to Best Buy to look at the TVs, they had a 50" S30 next to a 42" ST30. The 50" S30 was nice and bright while the ST30 was dim. They both had nice and crisp images despite this, but I could see the 60Hz flicker that I suppose is common with plasmas (just like it was with CRTs). I suppose I could get used to the flickering, and I was standing there looking at the S30 and thinking "Maybe I should get that instead". Also, I've noticed, the majority of Plasmas in a store are all dim compared to the LCDs.

They also had an ST30 with a 3D demo set up. I really liked the 3D when looking through the glasses that were too big for me. Crisp and no ghosting. There was an LG LCD that was set up for 3D and I could see ghosting from looking through the glasses.

I think best buys setups are all over the map.
I've seen a dim 42st, a gorgeous 60st, a washed out 50s, a solid 42s, and the 50st 3d demo that looks good.
It's the same story with samsung plasmas, all over the map.
Tbh none of the sets really look that great in best buy unless they're showing an animated movie, or a manufacturers demo.

The panny 3d demo always seems to showcase 3d effects within the screen, whereas the lg demo shows more popout effects. Resolution goes to the panny by far.